Nashville Cats: Kristin Wilkinson

Wilkinson, who grew up in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and Ocean City, New Jersey, began her music training at an early age, studying through her high school years with one of the Philadelphia Philharmonic Orchestra’s violinists. She later parlayed that experience into playing fiddle in the pioneering all-women bluegrass band Buffalo Gals. One of her first big breaks in country music came when she had the opportunity to arrange strings for a new group on the scene calling themselves Alabama, with whom she ended up collaborating on several albums. Wilkinson is one of Nashville’s most in-demand string arrangers. She has accumulated hundreds of high-profile credits on country, rock and pop projects since the 1980s. As an arranger, Wilkinson has contributed to recordings with a wide swath of musicians, including Kenny Chesney, Steve Earle, Trisha Yearwood and Country Music Hall of Fame member Willie Nelson. For live performances, she has worked with artists such as Brandi Carlile, Regina Spektor and Chris Stapleton. In 2024, she collaborated with Greta Van Fleet to arrange the overture for the band’s world tour. Country Music Hall of Fame member Marty Stuart has long worked with Wilkinson, employing her to arrange strings on his albums and for special events, including his 2019 residency at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. She earned a Golden Globe nomination for composing the score to the film “All the Pretty Horses” (2000) alongside Stuart and Larry Paxton. Wilkinson has also done an extensive amount of work for television, including arrangements for the Country Music Association Awards, the annual CMA Country Christmas television special and CMT’s Artists of the Year events. The interview will be moderated by museum writer-editor Jon Freeman and will be illustrated with vintage photos, film and recordings.